If your ancestors lived in any of the five boroughs of New York, you are going to want to get acquainted with DORIS!

DORIS is the acronym for the Department of Records and Information Services in the New York City Municipal Archives. Last week they announced free access to more than 9.3 million vital records on their website. The new online vital records platform lets you search and view historical New York City records of birth (1866-1909), death (1862-1948), and marriage (1866-1949). High-quality copies can be downloaded and printed from the site at no charge.

Records will continue to be digitized. You can see more details about what's currently available at Digital Vital Records.

Start searching here, by either Certificate Number or Name. Be aware you may need to enter variations of the name to get complete results.

D. Joshua Taylor, President of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, was quoted as saying, "The Historical Vital Records project is an absolute game-changer for those tracing New Yorkers. This unprecedented free access to birth, marriage, and death records will help millions discover their New York heritage."